Abstract
Conductivity detectors constitute a universal detection technique that is suitable for the determination of non-UV/Vis absorbing compounds, such as carbohydrates. This chapter summarizes the theoretical foundations of conductivity detection and describes the design of contactless conductivity cells for capillary electrophoresis, microchip electrophoresis, and liquid chromatography, with emphasis on the advantages and disadvantages of the individual types and their current commercial availability.
Emphasis is placed on the optimum composition of the background electrolyte and mobile phase, which together with the pretreatment of the sample affect the sensitivity of the determination. Special emphasis is placed on the applications of contactless conductivity detection in combination with high-performance separation techniques for determining carbohydrates and their derivatives in food, beverages, and clinical and environmental samples.
In the conclusion, a description will be given of the use of contactless conductivity detectors in single-purpose analyzers in connection with automatic sample treatment.